Where Darkness Dwells

DI Winter Meadows #11

by Cheryl Rees-Price

Two missing girls. No suspects. And a killer who escaped justice.

In 2005, fifteen-year-old Callie Thomas disappeared after a night out in rural Wales. Six months later, another teenage girl vanished from a nearby village. Neither case was ever solved.

Twenty years later, the past refuses to stay buried.

When true-crime investigator Nell Aubury goes missing while looking into one of the disappearances, DI Winter Meadows is forced to reopen the cases a community has spent decades trying to forget.

Then a new body is found, buried beneath ancient burial stones.

Meadows is determined to chase down this fresh lead to get to the truth, but all he finds are dead ends. Witnesses change their stories. Old statements are full of holes.

Someone has already killed to keep their deadly secrets buried. How far are they prepared to go to stop Meadows from learning the truth?

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Fiction

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 23, 2026

About the author

Cheryl Rees-Price was born in Cardiff and moved as a Young child to a small ex-mining village on the edge of the Black Mountains, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband, daughters and two cats. After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for several years before leaving to raise her two daughters.

Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services.

In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

2005 Two 15 year old girls go missing. In the present day two missing person investigators are looking into the cases. But then one of them is murdered. DI Meadows and his team investigate.
An enjoyable modern mystery

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in a week that I have read that has a disturbing theme of women being held captive and tortured in the name of love. I am not sure why that is an appealing subject to a writer, but since I’ve loved all the previous books in this series, I felt that I had to finish this book. It was a complex mystery with several events happening simultaneously. Two missing 15-year-old girls in the span of six months. Both girls attending a party that they were not supposed to be at with older teenagers in attendance along with booze and drugs. A true crime podcaster who gets murdered. Of course, we have the cop who does a stupid thing even though he knows better and gets conked on the head. We also have a dirty cop in the scenario.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great DCI Winter Meadows novel with a complicated and emotional plot. The team tackles 2 potentially related cold cases from 20 years before as well as a linked current case set up by two women who do a blog on missing person cases. The investigation stirs up lots of local anxiety and suspicion and several people are suspects and many are keeping silent. I like the police team and their personalities and interactions as the case becomes more convoluted and heart-wrenching. The ending will really tug at your heart and make you question what crimes were really committed and who should be punished. A very enjoyable read.

[SylviaV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where Darkness Dwells by Cheryl Rees-Price. (DI Winter Meadows #11)

This book is another great installment in this series. It is a stand-alone story and could be read as a stand alone book, but it is book 11 in a series and in my opinion, you would get a better reading experience if you read the books in order. For me, I enjoyed my time spent with the characters trying to solve the crime. 4 stars.

[Judith Barretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where Darkness Dwells

This book has so many different twists and turns, each chapter has a new surprise, making this book difficult to put down. Most of the time I can figure out who is the criminal, not so with this book and author.

I highly recommend this book to serious fans of mysteries.

[J Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheryl Rees-Price has done it again!
The disappearance of a woman investigating two missing teenagers from 20 years ago leads to a case for DI Winter Meadows and his team. This is a tale that twists and turns leaving the reader with a number of suspects that that changes from Chapter to Chapter.
This is a well written book with utterly belevable characters. Well worth reading.

[Kelly Rosario · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all the books in this series, some more than others. This one was interesting but a little confusing with two cold cases and some chapters going back in time without knowing which case it was. I also would have liked more closure as far as what happened going forward for the many characters involved.

[Penni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this might be my favorite in the DCI Winter Meadow series. In this book, Meadows and his team try and solve two 20-year-old murders while dealing with current events. Just when you think you have figured it out, you’ll be surprised again.

[M A · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many threads to untangle in this story so you are kept trying to follow the leads. Too many people could be guilty - or are guilty of something in this close knit community. It seems Meadows is following an instinct that he isn't sharing with his team.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great mystery in the DI Winter Meadows series. Very atmospheric, tense and intriguing, with relatable characters and unexpected twists and turns. This is such a brilliant series and this latest book be my favourite yet! I really recommend the whole series, but each of the cases can be enjoyed by itself too – I can't wait for the next instalment already!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the storyline and the style of writing. I found it difficult when I had to stop reading, it was engaging